The following NASCAR national series were held in 1988:

• 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series - The top racing series in NASCAR.
• 1988 NASCAR Busch Series - The second-highest racing series in NASCAR.

Richard Lee Petty
Petty in 2006
Born	(1937-07-02) July 2, 1937 (age 74) Level Cross, North Carolina
Awards	Seven Cup championships. Named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998) Inducted in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame (1997) Inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (1989 – inaugural inductee)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career
1,184 race(s) run over 35 year(s)
Best finish	1st – 1964, 1967, 1971 (Grand National), 1972, 1974, 1975, 1979 (Winston Cup)
First race	1958 Jim Mideon 500 (Exhibition Place, CNE Stadium)
Last race	1992 Hooters 500 (Atlanta)
First win	1960 untitled race (Southern States Fairgrounds)
Last win	1984 Firecracker 400 (Daytona)
Wins Top tens Poles 200* 712 127

Richard Lee Petty (born July 2, 1937) is a former NASCAR driver who raced in the Strictly Stock/Grand National Era and the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. "The King", as he is nicknamed, is most well known for winning the NASCAR Championship seven times (Dale Earnhardt is the only other driver to accomplish this feat),^[1] winning a record 200 races during his career,^[1] winning the Daytona 500 a record seven times,^[1] and winning a record 27 races^[1] (ten of them consecutively) in the 1967 season alone. (A 1972 rule change eliminated races under 250 miles (400 km) in length, reducing the schedule to 30 [now 36] races.) Petty is widely considered one of the greatest NASCAR drivers of all time and is one of the most respected figures in motorsports as a whole. He also collected a record number of poles (127) and over 700 top-ten finishes in his 1,185 starts, including 513 consecutive starts from 1971–1989. Petty is a member of the inaugural class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Hall in 2010.

Petty is a second generation driver. His father, Lee Petty, won the first Daytona 500 in 1959 and was also a 3 time NASCAR champion. Richard's son, Kyle Petty, is also a well-known NASCAR driver. Richard's grandson, Adam Petty, was killed in an accident at New Hampshire International Speedway on May 12, 2000, five weeks after the death of Lee. Meanwhile, Adam's brother Austin works on day-to-day operations of the Victory Junction Gang Camp, a Hole in the Wall Gang camp established by the Pettys after Adam's death. Petty married his wife Lynda in 1958 and they have four children – Kyle Petty, Sharon Petty Farlow, Lisa Petty Luck and Rebecca Petty Moffit – and 12 grandchildren.^[2] The family still resides in Petty's home town of Level Cross, North Carolina and operates Richard Petty Motorsports. The Richard Petty Museum is in nearby Randleman, North Carolina. Throughout Petty's career, but especially during his prime, Petty was known to stand for hours – backed against a fence, signing autographs to everyone who asked.

Racing career[link]

Petty was born in Level Cross, North Carolina, the son of Elizabeth (née Toomes) and Lee Arnold Petty, also a NASCAR driver and the older brother of Maurice Petty.^[3] He began his NASCAR career on July 19, 1958, 16 days after his 21st birthday. His first race was at War Memorial Stadium in Buffalo, New York. In 1959, Richard was named NASCAR Rookie of the Year, after he produced 9 top 10 finishes, including six Top 5 finishes.

The 1960s[link]

Petty's famous Plymouth Superbird, on display at The Richard Petty Museum in Randleman, North Carolina

In 1960, he finished 2nd in the NASCAR Grand National Points Race.1963 was his breakout year, winning at tracks like Martinsville and Bridgehampton. In 1964, driving a potent Plymouth with a new Hemi engine, Richard Petty led 184 of the 200 laps to capture his first Daytona 500, en route to 9 victories, earning over $114,000 and his first Grand National championship.

Joining in the Chrysler boycott of NASCAR due to the organizing body's ban of the Hemi engine, Richard spent much of 1965 competing as a drag racer. He crashed his car at the Southeastern Dragway, in Dallas, Georgia, on February 28, 1965, killing an eight year old boy, Wayne Dye, and injuring seven others.^[4] Petty, his father Lee, and Chrysler Corporation faced lawsuits totaling more than $1 million.^[5]

On February 27, 1966 Petty overcame a 2-lap deficit to win his second Daytona 500 when the race was stopped on lap 198 of 200 because of a thunderstorm. This made him the first driver to win the event twice. 1967 was a milestone year. In that year, Petty won 27 of the 48 races he entered, including a record 10 wins in a row (between August 12 and October 1, 1967). He won his second Grand National Championship. One of the 27 victories was the Southern 500 at Darlington, which would be his only Southern 500 victory. His dominance in this season earned him the nickname "King Richard". He had previously been known as "the Randleman Rocket". In 1969 Petty switched brands to Ford, due to his belief the Plymouth was not competitive on super-speedways; he wanted a slippery Dodge Daytona but Chrysler executives insisted he stay with Plymouth. He would win 10 races and finish second in points. Won back in 1970 by the sleek new Plymouth Superbird with shark nose and goalpost wing, Petty returned to Plymouth for the 1970 season. This is probably his most famous car, and the car in which Petty is cast in the 2006 Pixar film Cars.

The 1970s[link]

Petty's IROC car from the 1970s

Petty's car used for his 1979 Daytona 500 win, on display at Daytona USA

1983 racecar

On February 14, 1971, Petty won his third Daytona 500, driving a brand-new (for 1971) Plymouth Road Runner and beating team mate, Buddy Baker, by little more than a car length en route to another historic year, making him the first driver to win the event three times. He won 20 more races, became the first driver to earn more than $1 million in career earnings, and claimed his third Grand National Championship. At the end of the 1971 season Chrysler told the Pettys they would no longer receive direct factory funding support, causing the Petty team great concern. In 1972, STP (motor oil company) began what would turn into a successful 28 year sponsorship arrangement with Petty, however it marked the end of Petty's famous all "Petty Blue" paint job. STP at first insisted on an all STP orangish-red color for the cars, but Petty balked, and after an all-night negotiation session the familiar STP orange/Petty blue paint scheme was agreed to as a compromise that would find its way to all STP racing operations, most notably Gordon Johncock's 1982 Indianapolis 500 winner. Petty won his 4th Winston Cup Championship, thanks to his 28 top-10 finishes, including 25 top-5 finishes and 8 victories. 1972 was a year of change in other ways, as it was the last year Richard would campaign a Petty Plymouth, as toward the end of the year Petty drove a newly built 1972 Dodge Charger in a few races (winning one of them), as Petty believed the car to have a slight aero advantage over the Plymouth body style. On February 18, 1973, in a driver’s duel, Petty, in a newly built 1973 Dodge Charger (a body style he would use exclusively until the end of 1977) outlasted Baker (now with the K&K Insurance Dodge race team) to win his fourth Daytona 500 after Baker's engine gave out with six laps left. One year later, Petty won the Daytona "450" (shortened 20 laps {50 mi/80 km} due to the energy crisis) for the fifth time en route to his fifth Winston Cup Championship.

The year 1975 was another historic year for Petty, as he won the World 600 for the first time in his career, one of 13 victories en route to his sixth Winston Cup. The 13 victories is a modern (1972 to present) NASCAR record for victories in a season, and was tied in 1998 by Jeff Gordon, although Gordon won 13 out of 33 races, compared to Petty's 13 out of 30 races ]. In 1976, Petty was involved in one of the most famous finishes in NASCAR history. Petty and David Pearson were racing on the last lap out of turn 4 in the Daytona 500. As Petty tried to pass Pearson, at the exit of turn 4, Petty's right rear bumper hit Pearson's left front bumper. Pearson and Petty both spun and hit the front stretch wall. Petty's car came to rest just yards from the finish line, but his engine stalled. Pearson's car had hit the front stretch wall and clipped another car, but his engine was running. Pearson was able to drive his car toward the finish line, while Petty's car would not restart. Pearson passed Petty on the infield grass and won the Daytona 500. Petty was given credit for second place. Oddly 1978 will stand out as the one year during his prime that Petty did not visit the winners circle. The Petty Enterprises Team could not get the new for 1978 Dodge Magnum to handle properly, even though much time, effort, and faith were spent massaging the cars. Unhappy with the seven top-5 finishes (including two second places) Petty climbed out of the Dodge and into a four year old used Chevy Monte Carlo after 17 races, breaking the hearts of his faithful, though partisan Mopar fans. The switch to Chevy did not produce any wins however, in the remaining 1978 races. Petty would go on to rebound in 1979, winning the NASCAR championship for the seventh, and last time.

The Twilight Years[link]

1989 car at Phoenix

Petty won two more Daytona 500s in 1979 and 1981. In 1979, he snapped a 45-race drought, winning his sixth Daytona 500, the first to be televised live flag-to-flag; it would become notorious for a fistfight between competitors following the controversial finish. Petty won the race as the first and second place cars of Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough crashed on the last lap. Petty held off Darrell Waltrip and A.J. Foyt. The race is also regarded as being the genesis of the current surge in NASCAR's popularity. The East Coast was snowed in by a blizzard, giving CBS a captive audience. The win was part of Richard's seventh and last NASCAR Winston Cup Championship. Petty was able to hold off Waltrip to win the title in 1979.

For 1981, NASCAR dictated that all teams had to show up with the new downsized cars of 110" wheel-base, that Detroit had been building since 1979. Though Petty had been successful with the Chevrolet and Oldsmobile cars he had been running, he wanted to get back to his Mopar roots. After taking a phone call from Lee Iaccoca (who personally asked Richard to campaign a Dodge for 1981), the Petty team built a stunning 1981 Dodge Mirada and took it to Daytona in January 1981 for high speed tests. Petty's fans were also in a large part fans of his Dodges, so when word got out about the Mirada testing, 15,000 or so showed up on 17 Jan 1981 at the Daytona Speedway to watch Richard put the Dodge through its paces. Sadly for the fans, the car could do no better than 186 miles per hour, about eight miles per hour slower than the GM and Ford cars. Petty gave up on returning to Dodge knowing that for the superspeedways the Mirada would not be competitive, and bought a Buick Regal for the Daytona race. In the 1981 Daytona 500, Petty used a "fuel only" for his last pit stop, with 25 laps to go, to outfox Bobby Allison and grab his seventh and final Daytona 500 win. This win marked a large change in Petty's racing team. Dale Inman, Petty's longtime crew chief, left the team after the Daytona victory (Inman would win an eighth championship as crew chief in 1984 with Terry Labonte).

While the 1981 season brought Richard 3 wins, he felt the season was a failure, and the Regals being ill-handling and poor in reliability. For 1982 he made the move to the Pontiac Grand Prix, with the promise of substantial factory support from Pontiac. Unfortunately 1982 was a repeat of 1978, and no victories were to be had. At first, the Grand Prix behaved much like the Dodge Magnum of 1978, with handling and speed problems. Toward the end of 1982 things improved with several top-10 finishes, which opened the door to a successful 1983 season with 3 victories, and several top-5 and top-10 finishes. In 1983, he broke his 43 race winless streak from 1982 with a win in the 1983 Carolina 500, barely edging out a young Bill Elliott.

After a controversial win at Charlotte in October 1983 (win No. 198), in which Petty's brother Maurice, who built the team's engines, was accused of running an illegal engine (it was much larger than the allowed 358 cubic engines, NASCAR officials determined in a post-race inspection), Petty left the race team his father founded for the 1984 season. He spent '84 and '85 driving for Mike Curb before returning to Petty Enterprises in 1986.

Petty at Pocono Raceway in 1985

On July 4, 1984, Petty won his 200th (and what would turn to be his final victory) race at the Firecracker 400 at Daytona International Speedway. The race was memorable: On lap 158, Doug Heveron crashed, bringing out the yellow caution flag, essentially turning lap 158 into the last lap as the two drivers battled back to the start-finish line. Petty and Cale Yarborough diced it out on that lap, with Yarborough drafting and taking an early lead before Petty managed to cross the start/finish line only a fender-length ahead. (This is no longer possible because of the 2003 rule change freezing the field immediately upon caution. Furthermore, the green-white-checkered rule was created for if the yellow flag waves with two laps remaining, but not with one lap remaining.) President Ronald Reagan was in attendance, the first sitting president to attend a NASCAR race. Reagan celebrated the milestone with Petty and his family in victory lane.^[6]

Petty's Last Ride[link]

On October 1, 1991, Richard Petty announced he would retire after the 1992 season. Petty's final top ten finish came at the 1991 Budweiser at the Glen which was the same race J. D. McDuffie was killed in a fifth lap accident. Petty chose to run the entire 1992 season, not just selected events as other drivers have done before retirement. His year-long Fan Appreciation Tour took him around the country, participating in special events, awards ceremonies, and fan-related meetings. Racing Champions ran a promotional line of diecast cars for every race in Petty's Farewell Tour. In his final year behind the wheel, he had two notable races.

At the 1992 Pepsi 400 on July 4, Petty qualified second. Before the start of the race, he was honored with a gift ceremony which included a visit from President George H. W. Bush. At the start, Petty led the first five laps, but dropped out on lap 84 due to fatigue.

Despite the tremendously busy appearance schedule, and mediocre race results, Petty managed to qualify for all 29 races in 1992. On his final visit to each track, Petty would lead the field on the pace lap to salute the fans. Petty's final race was the season-ending Hooter's 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The race was notable in that it was the first career start for Jeff Gordon, and it was the 2nd closest points championship in NASCAR history, with six drivers mathematically eligible to win the championship. A record 160,000 spectators attended the race, which went down to the final lap with Bill Elliott winning the race, and Alan Kulwicki winning the championship by 10 points over Elliott after Davey Allison dropped out early after a crash.

Facing the intense pressure, Petty barely managed to qualify at Atlanta, posting the 39th fastest speed out of 41 cars. He would not have been eligible for the provisional starting position, and had to qualify on speed. On the 94th lap, Petty became tangled up in an accident, and his car caught fire. Petty pulled the car off the track, and climbed out of the burning machine uninjured. His pit crew worked diligently with less than 20 laps to go to get the car running again, and with two laps to go, Petty pulled out of the pits and was credited as running at the finish in his final race. He took his final checkered flag finishing in 35th position. After the race, Petty circled the track to salute the fans one final time in his trademark STP Pontiac.

The following year, he was back into a race car one more time. On August 18, 1993, NASCAR participated in a tire test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in preparations for the 1994 Brickyard 400. Petty drove several laps around the track, and then donated his car to the Speedway's museum.

Petty would again step into a race car in 2003 on the week of the final race under the Winston banner at Homestead-Miami Speedway and took a solo lap honoring his seven Winston Cup Championships for Winston's salute to the champions.

In 2007 at the Pepsi 400 in Daytona, Richard Petty was behind the wheel of a Daytona car during the pace laps, leading the field for the first lap. The field split him and he followed behind the field for one more pace lap before he pulled it in. This was in tribute to Bill France Jr.

Petty as an owner[link]

In later years of his career, Petty developed the career of crew leader Robbie Loomis, who was at the helm of Petty Enterprises as crew chief in the 1990s, and won three races—the 1996 Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix, the 1997 ACDelco 400 at North Carolina Speedway, both with Bobby Hamilton driving, and the 1999 Goody's Body Pain 500 at Martinsville Speedway, with John Andretti driving.

Petty moved to the television broadcast booth for a few seasons immediatedly following his retirement, but his career in television did not last long. He remained as operating owner until his son Kyle Petty took over day-to-day operations a decade later.

However, in 2008, Kyle Petty was released by Petty Enterprises, and due to lack of sponsorship, Petty Enterprises was bought out by Gillett-Evernham Motorsports. The name was originally going to stay the same, but due to Evernham leaving the team, It was renamed Richard Petty Motorsports, despite George Gillett continuing to own the majority of the team.

In November 2010, an investment group including Medallion Financial Corp., Douglas G. Bergeron and NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty, signed and closed sale on racing assets of Richard Petty Motorsports.^[7][8] Andrew M. Murstein, president of Medallion, had been seeking a sports investment since 2008 when he formed a special purpose acquisition company together with Hank Aaron, a Medallion board member, and others.^[9][10]

Close calls[link]

Of all the races he won, Petty is also remembered for three of the many incredible crashes that he survived:

• In the 1970 Rebel 400 at Darlington, Petty was injured when his Plymouth Road Runner cut a tire and slammed hard into the wall separating the track from the pit area. The car flipped several times before coming to rest on its side. This accident injured Petty's shoulder, and helped Bobby Isaac to win the 1970 Grand National Championship. During the accident, Petty's head hit the track pavement several times, which led NASCAR to mandate the installation of the Petty-developed safety net that covers the driver's side window.
• In a 1980 race at Pocono, Richard slammed the Turn 2 wall, nearly flipping the car. Petty barely escaped breaking his neck in the wreck and kept his injury hidden from NASCAR officials for the next races, knowing that another wreck could possibly kill him. Such an incident could never happen today, because of modern NASCAR rules requiring an official series medical liaison to clear a driver after a crash.
• In the 1988 Daytona 500, Petty's crash on Lap 106 hurled parts all over the front stretch at the Daytona International Speedway. After several flips, Petty walked away with no serious injuries, except for temporary sight loss due to excessive g-forces. The crash was similar to the accident suffered by Bobby Allison during the 1987 Winston 500 at Talladega Superspeedway and Carl Edwards 2009 Talladega crash in that all three cars became airborne after turning sideways, and both cars damaged the spectator fencing (though Petty's crash did much less damage to the fencing). Petty's car became airborne despite the use of the carburetor restrictor plate, which was mandated by NASCAR for races at Talladega Superspeedway and Daytona International Speedway just prior to the start of the 1988 season.

Career awards[link]

• On May 23, 2010 he was inducted into the first class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
• In 1997, he was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.
• He was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998.
• He was sole stock car representative in the first class inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1989.
• He was awarded the Medal of Freedom by President George Bush in 1992, the first motorsports athlete ever to be honored with this award.

Life after racing[link]

Richard Petty is currently a spokesman for Liberty Medical, Cheerios and GlaxoSmithKline products Nicorette and Goody's Headache Powder. Richard and his son Kyle have lended their talent to host "Lifting It Right" a lift safety training DVD produced and distributed by the Automotive Lift Institute(ALI). The DVD is used in most high school vocational programs and community colleges. He has also recorded public service announcements for Civitan International, a nonprofit organization in which he was formerly a member.^[11] He is almost always seen wearing his trademark sunglasses and a Charlie One Horse cowboy hat, with a large snakeskin hat band and a plume of rooster feathers at the front. In 1996, he was the Republican nominee for North Carolina Secretary of State, but was defeated by State Senator Elaine Marshall in the general election. Petty was seen as a shoo-in and his campaigning was sporadic. Following his loss, Petty stated "If I had known I wasn't going to win, I wouldn't have run."^[12] He was cast as "The King" in Pixar's 2006 animated film Cars as his 1970 Plymouth Superbird with the number "43". A cereal "43's" was created with Petty information on the boxes.

Races won[link]

Grand National/Winston Cup (200 career wins)[link]

• 1984 ( 2 wins) Budweiser 500 (Dover), Firecracker 400 (Daytona)
• 1983 ( 3 wins) Warner W. Hodgdon Carolina 500 (Rockingham), Winston 500 (Talladega), Miller High Life 500 (Charlotte)
• 1981 ( 3 wins) Daytona 500 (Daytona), Northwestern Bank 400 (North Wilkesboro), Champion Spark Plug 400 (Michigan)
• 1980 ( 2 wins) Northwestern Bank 400 (North Wilkesboro), Music City USA 420 (Nashville)
• 1979 ( 5 wins) Daytona 500 (Daytona), Virginia 500 (Martinsville), Champion Spark Plug 400 (Michigan), CRC Chemicals 500 (Dover), American 500 (Rockingham), Winston Cup Championship
• 1977 ( 5 wins) Carolina 500 (Rockingham), Atlanta 500 (Atlanta), World 600 (Charlotte), NAPA 400 (Riverside), Firecracker 400 (Daytona)
• 1976 ( 3 wins) Carolina 500 (Rockingham), Purolator 500 (Pocono), American 500 (Rockingham)
• 1975 (13 wins) Richmond 500 (Richmond), Southeastern 500 (Bristol), Atlanta 500 (Atlanta), Gwyn Staley 400 (North Wilkesboro), Virginia 500 (Martinsville), World 600 (Charlotte), Tuborg 400 (Riverside), Firecracker 400 (Daytona), Champion Spark Plug 400 (Michigan), Delaware 500 (Dover), Wilkes 400 (North Wilkesboro), National 500 (Charlotte), Volunteer 500 (Bristol), Winston Cup Championship
• 1974 (10 wins) Daytona 500 (Daytona), Carolina 500 (Rockingham), Gwyn Staley 400 (North Wilkesboro), Music City USA 420 (Nashville), Motor State 360 (Michigan), Dixie 500 (Atlanta), Purolator 500 (Pocono), Talladega 500 (Talladega), Capital City 500 (Richmond), Delaware 500 (Dover), Winston Cup Championship
• 1973 ( 6 wins) Daytona 500 (Daytona), Richmond 500 (Richmond), Gwyn Staley 400 (North Wilkesboro), Alamo 500 (College Station), Capital City 500 (Richmond), Old Dominion 500 (Martinsville)
• 1972 ( 8 wins) Winston Western 500 (Riverside), Richmond 500 (Richmond), Gwyn Staley 400 (North Wilkesboro), Virginia 500 (Martinsville), Lone Star 500 (College Station), Capital City 500 (Richmond), Old Dominion 500 (Martinsville), Wilkes 400 (North Wilkesboro), Winston Cup Championship
• 1971 (21 wins*) Daytona 500 (Daytona), Richmond 500 (Richmond), Carolina 500 (Rockingham), Hickory 276 (Hickory), Columbia 200 (Columbia), Maryville 200 (Maryville), Gwyn Staley 400 (North Wilkesboro), Virginia 500 (Martinsville), Asheville 300 (Asheville), Pickens 200 (Greenville), Albany-Saratoga 250 (Malta), Islip 300 (Islip), Northern 300 (Trenton), Nashville 420 (Nashville), Dixie 500 (Atlanta), West Virginia 500 (Ona), Sandlapper 200 (Columbia), Delaware 500 (Dover), American 500 (Rockingham), Capital City 500 (Richmond), Texas 500 (College Station), Grand National Championship.
  Does not include a Grand National class win in a Grand American-Grand National race at Bowman Gray Stadium. Bobby Allison in a Grand American car win the race, Petty finished second in a Grand National car, thereby winning the division. Neither driver is officially credited with a Grand National (now Sprint Cup) win. Under similar circumstances in the current K&N Pro Series (Petty has four wins in the K&N Pro West Series), the driver first in class of drivers entered in the East Series and West Series are both credited with class wins.
• 1970 (18 wins) Carolina 500 (Rockingham), Savannah 200 (Savannah), Gwyn Staley 400 (North Wilkesboro), Columbia 200 (Columbia), Falstaff 400 (Riverside), Kingsport 100 (Kingsport), Albany-Saratoga 250 (Malta), Schaefer 300 (Trenton), East Tennessee 200 (Maryville), Dixie 500 (Atlanta), West Virginia 300 (Ona), Myers Brothers 250 (Winston-Salem), Halifax County 100 (South Boston), Capital City 500 (Richmond), Mason-Dixon 300 (Dover), Home State 200 (Raleigh), Old Dominion 500 (Martinsville), Georgia 500 (Macon)
• 1969 (10 wins) Georgia 500 (Macon), Motor Trend 500 (Riverside), Virginia 500 (Martinsville), Kingsport 250 (Kingsport), Mason-Dixon 300 (Dover), Maryland 300 (Beltsville), Nashville 400 (Nashville), Smoky Mountain 200 (Maryville), Myers Brothers 250 (Winston-Salem), Old Dominion 500 (Martinsville)
• 1968 (16 wins) Race 02 (Montgomery), Hickory 250 (Hickory), Greenville 200 (Greenville), Asheville 300 (Asheville), Race 21 (Maryville), Race 22 (Birmingham), Pickens 200 (Greenville), Maine 300 (Oxford), Fonda 200 (Fonda), Smoky Mountain 200 (Maryville), Race 37 (South Boston), Capital City 300 (Richmond), Hillsboro 150 (Hillsboro), Old Dominion 500 (Martinsville), Wilkes 400 (North Wilkesboro), American 500 (Rockingham)
• 1967 (27 wins) Augusta 300 (Augusta), Fireball 300 (Weaverville), Columbia 200 (Columbia), Hickory 250 (Hickory), Virginia 500 (Martinsville), Richmond 250 (Richmond), Rebel 400 (Darlington), Tidewater 250 (Hampton), Macon 300 (Macon), East Tennessee 200 (Maryville), Carolina 500 (Rockingham), Pickens 200 (Greenville), Northern 300 (Trenton), Race 31 (Fonda), Islip 300 (Islip), Volunteer 500 (Bristol), Nashville 400 (Nashville), Myers Brothers 250 (Winston-Salem), Sandlapper 200 (Columbia), Race 39 (Savannah), Southern 500 (Darlington), Buddy Shuman 250 (Hickory), Capital City 300 (Richmond), Maryland 300 (Beltsville), Hillsboro 150 (Hillsboro), Old Dominion 500 (Martinsville), Wilkes 400 (North Wilkesboro), Grand National Championship
• 1966 ( 8 wins) Georgia Cracker 300 (Augusta), Daytona 500 (Daytona), Rebel 400 (Darlington), Tidewater 250 (Hampton), Speedy Morelock 200 (Macon), Fireball 300 (Weaverville), Nashville 400 (Nashville), Dixie 400 (Atlanta)
• 1965 ( 4 wins) Nashville 400 (Nashville), Western North Carolina 500 (Weaverville), Buddy Shuman 250 (Hickory), Race 48 (Manassas)
• 1964 ( 9 wins) Sunshine 200 (Savannah), Daytona 500 (Daytona), Race 24 (South Boston), Race 29 (Concord), Music City 200 (Nashville), Race 34 (Spartanburg), Nashville 400 (Nashville), Mountaineer 500 (Huntington), Race 60 (Harris), Grand National Championship
• 1963 (14 wins) Race 02 (Tampa), Race 08 (Spartanburg), Race 09 (Weaverville), South Boston 400 (South Boston), Virginia 500 (Martinsville), Gwyn Staley 400 (North Wilkesboro), Columbia 200 (Columbia), Race 24 (Manassas), Race 27 (Birmingham), Race 36 (Bridgehampton), Pickens 200 (Greenville), Sandlapper 200 (Columbia), Race 51 (Randleman), South Boston 400 (South Boston)
• 1962 ( 8 wins) Gwyn Staley 400 (North Wilkesboro), Virginia 500 (Martinsville), Pickens 200 (Greenville), Race 39 (Huntsville), Race 41 (Roanoke), International 200 (Winston-Salem), Race 43 (Spartanburg), Wilkes 320 (North Wilkesboro)
• 1961 ( 2 wins) Richmond 200 (Richmond), World 600 Qualifier #1 (Charlotte)
• 1960 ( 3 wins) Race 06 (Charlotte), Virginia 500 (Martinsville), Race 39 (Hillsboro)
• 1959 ( 0 wins) Rookie of the Year

Teams[link]

• Petty Enterprises 1958–1983, 1986–1992
• Don Robertson 1970
• Mike Curb 1984–1985

Movie and TV appearances[link]

• In May 2011 he was chosen to say the most famous line in motorsports: "Gentlemen start your engines" for a race for the Sprint Cup series.
• In 2011, Richard Petty was featured in the show Modern HotrodZ. Petty's Garage now builds Custom cars for the general public, most of which are Limited Edition.
• He appeared as himself in the movie Swing Vote driving in his famous blue #43 car, and letting Bud drive his car to Air Force One to meet the President.
• Petty voiced Strip Weathers, also known as The King in the 2006 Disney/Pixar animated movie Cars and the 2011 sequel Cars 2. His car, the Road Runner Superbird with distinctive "Petty" blue tint and number #43, is also the model for the car used in the movie. The King's crash at the end of the movie was also a re-creation of Petty's real-life Daytona 500 accident in 1988 with the exception that it was not caused by a deliberate crash as in the movie. The bit which Lightning McQueen assists him to the finish line is based on the 1976 incident, albeit by the pit crew. Petty's wife Lynda plays The King's wife, a 1976 Chrysler Town & Country station wagon (based on Petty's family car), in the movie as well.
• Petty appeared in the 1990 Tom Cruise movie Days of Thunder.
• He appeared in the 1983 Burt Reynolds movie Stroker Ace.
• Petty appeared as himself in the 1972 movie 43: The Richard Petty Story (a Victory Lane Production, released by Video Gems, distributed by United American Video in 1986).
• In 1989, Richard Petty appeared as himself in the movie Speed Zone!, driving in his famous blue #43 car.

Controversial remarks on female NASCAR drivers[link]

Petty, along with several male drivers, has made negative comments about female driver Danica Patrick's ability, as a woman, to race successfully.^[13] Petty, in a separate interview, stated in 2006, "I just don't think it's a sport for women, and so far, it's proved out. It's really not. It's good for them to come in. It gives us a lot of publicity, it gives them publicity. But as far as being a real true racer, making a living out of it, it's kind of tough."^[14]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Richard Petty

• Official website
• Victory Junction Gang Camp
• Official Visitor Information
• Richard Petty Gives a Tour of Petty Enterprises
• Richard Pettys Garage 2010
• Richard Petty's career stats at racing-reference.info
• Richard Petty Driving Experience
• The Richard Petty Museum

Bobby Allison
Born	(1937-12-03) December 3, 1937 (age 74) Miami, Florida[1]
Awards	1983 Winston Cup Champion Named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998) Inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame (1993) Inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (1992) 1980: IROC champion
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career
718 race(s) run over 25 year(s)
Best finish	1st – 1983 (Winston Cup)
First race	1961 Daytona 500 (Daytona)
Last race	1988 Miller High Life 500 (Pocono)
First win	1966 Race #31 (Oxford Plains Speedway)
Last win	1988 Daytona 500 (Daytona)
Wins Top tens Poles 84 (see article) 446 58
NASCAR Nationwide Series career
43 race(s) run over 7 year(s)
First race	1982 Sportsman 200 (Dover Downs International Speedway
Last race	1988 Winn-Dixie 300 (Charlotte Motor Speedway)
First win	1984 Mello Yello 300 (Charlotte Motor Speedway)
Last win	1988 Goody's 300 (Daytona International Speedway)
Wins Top tens Poles 2 22

Robert Arthur "Bobby" Allison (born December 3, 1937) is a former NASCAR Winston Cup driver and was named one of NASCAR's 50 greatest drivers.^[1] His two sons, Clifford and Davey Allison, followed him into racing, and both died within a year of each other.

Early life[link]

Allison was born December 3, 1937 in Miami, Florida. He entered his first race as a senior at Archbishop Curley-Notre Dame High School in Miami, but was asked to quit by his father. After high school in 1955, Allison took his brother, Donnie, and some friends along on a quest for more lucrative racing than was available in south Florida. His searching led him to the Montgomery Speedway in Montgomery, Alabama, where he was told of a race that very night in Midfield, Alabama near Birmingham. Allison entered and won that race, along with two other races that week. He had found his lucrative racing. The brothers set up shop in Hueytown, Alabama with another friend (Red Farmer), and they began answering to the name Alabama Gang. Bobby Allison worked as a mechanic and an engine tester, but eventually became a driver and won the national championship in the modified special division in 1962.^[1]

NASCAR career[link]

1968 racecar

He moved to the Grand National circuit in 1965^[1] and got his first victory at Oxford Plains Speedway on July 12, 1966.

During the course of his career, Bobby Allison accumulated 84 victories, making him third all-time, tied with Darrell Waltrip, including three victories at the Daytona 500 in 1978, 1982 and 1988, where he finished one-two with his son, Davey Allison. He was NASCAR Winston Cup Champion in 1983^[1] driving for DiGard Racing. Allison ran in the Indianapolis 500 twice, with a best finish of 25th in 1975. His NASCAR team owners included DiGard, Junior Johnson & Associates, and Roger Penske, for whom Allison scored four of the five NASCAR wins for American Motors' Matador. The other AMC victory was accomplished by Mark Donohue also racing for Penske in 1973 at Riverside. He raced in NASCAR as a driver/owner of an AMC Matador.^[1]

1983 championship car

Allison was involved in an accident at Alabama International Motor Speedway (now Talladega Superspeedway) in May 1987 that saw his car cut down a tire, turn sideways and go airborne into the protective catch fence that separates the speedway from the grandstands. The impact with the fence with the rear of the car at over 200 miles per hour (320 km/h) tore down nearly 100 yards of fencing. Parts and pieces of the car went flying into the grandstand injuring several spectators. This was the same race where Bill Elliott set the all-time qualifying record at 212 mph (341 km/h).

In response, NASCAR mandated smaller carburetors for the remaining 1987 events at Talladega and its sister track, Daytona International Speedway. The following year, NASCAR mandated restrictor plates at Daytona and Talladega to keep speeds under 200 miles per hour (320 km/h). Allison won the first Daytona 500 run with restrictor plates in February 1988 by a car length over his son Davey Allison. He is the oldest driver (50 years) ever to win the Daytona 500 and he and Davey are the first one-two father/son finish in the Daytona 500. Bobby Allison now has no memory of the final win of his career or of celebrating together with his son in Victory Lane.^{[citation needed]}

1988 racecar

Pocono and Tragedy[link]

Later that season, on June 19, 1988, Bobby Allison was nearly killed, suffering massive head injuries in a crash at Pocono Raceway which forced his retirement from driving in NASCAR.^[1] In 1992, his youngest son, Clifford Allison, was fatally injured in a practice crash for the NASCAR Busch Series race (now Nationwide Series) at Michigan International Speedway. Allison was elected to the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1993.

Later in 1993, his son Davey was killed in a helicopter accident at Talladega Superspeedway. Three years after these major tragedies, he and his wife Judy divorced. Four years after their divorce, while attending their daughter's wedding, they reconnected. They were remarried and are still together. He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1992, and inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in May 2011, along with Lee Petty, Bud Moore, David Pearson, and Ned Jarrett.^{[citation needed]}

Allison is one of eight drivers to have won what was then considered a career Grand Slam (an unofficial term) by winning the sport's four majors: the Daytona 500, Winston 500, Coca-Cola 600, and the Southern 500. Richard Petty, David Pearson, Darrell Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and Buddy Baker are the other seven to have accomplished the feat.^{[citation needed]}

Win controversy[link]

Officially, according to NASCAR.com, Bobby Allison has won 84 Cup Series races, placing him in fourth place on the all-time wins list, tied with Darrell Waltrip. Unofficially, Bobby Allison has won 85 races, and may be credited with 86 wins. The controversy lies in two races: the 1971 Myers Brothers 250 held at Bowman Gray Stadium (Winston-Salem, North Carolina), and the 1973 National 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. (Charlotte, North Carolina.)

1971 Myers Brothers 250[link]

The 1971 Myers Brothers 250 was held August 6, 1971 at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The first car to cross the finish line after 250 laps was driven by Allison. The dispute in question came because of early 1970s combination races for the smaller Grand American Series, featuring "pony cars", such as the Chevrolet Camaro, Ford Mustang, and AMC Javelin, as well as the Grand National Series, featuring the Chevrolet Chevelle, Ford Torino Talladega, Dodge Charger Daytona, and Plymouth Roadrunner Superbird. For that race, and the race following at West Virginia International Speedway, Allison raced a Grand National – Grand American combination race in a Grand American Series specification 1970 Ford Mustang, #49, sponsored by Rollins Leasing, and owned by Melvin Joseph. (Joseph was the head of Dover International Speedway until his death in 2005.) As he was not racing in a Grand National car, he never received credit in that series, but was credited with a Grand American Series ("pony" cars) win.^{[citation needed]}

It should be noted NASCAR has had co-sanctioned races with various series in the past; in such cases, the win counts only in the series which that driver's car was sanctioned. The driver tied with Allison in all-time Cup wins because of the dispute is involved in this incident. An Automobile Racing Club of America/Winston West combination race in College Station, Texas on March 21, 1993, was won by Darrell Waltrip, driving an ARCA entry. That win was credited as an ARCA win only, and not counted in the NASCAR AutoZone West Series, Grand National Division (as it is currently known) win list. Likewise, when a Winston Cup driver won a Winston Cup/Winston West combination race, the win counts in Cup, not West. The Busch Series and Busch North Series also raced combination races in the past. Currently, Bristol Motor Speedway has such a race, with the Whelen Modified Tour and Whelen Southern Modified Tour.^{[citation needed]}

1973 National 500[link]

The 1973 National 500 was held October 7, 1973 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. The first three cars to cross the finish line after the scheduled 334 laps (501 miles) were driven by Cale Yarborough, Richard Petty, and Bobby Allison, in that order. Again, these facts are not disputed. What is disputed, is the legality of the first two cars' engines, recounted in Jim McLaurin’s book ”NASCAR'S Most Wanted", in the chapter “Fudgin’ With the Rules”:

In the 1973 National 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Allison protested that the engines in winner Cale Yarborough's and second-place Richard Petty's cars were over-sized. NASCAR inspected all three of the top finishers, and Allison's engine fit the cubic-displacement specs. Six hours after the inspections began, NASCAR technical director Bill Gazaway told the press that the results were being sent to headquarters in Daytona for a final decision.

Monday afternoon NASCAR released a statement saying that, because the inspection facilities at Charlotte were inadequate, the pre-race inspection numbers would be used-when all three cars were legal and that the results would stand.

Allison threatened both to quit and to sue. It was not until after a private meeting with NASCAR President Bill France, Jr., a week later that Allison was assuaged. Speculation was that Allison had been bought off. Allison wouldn't confirm or deny it, saying only that he had “received satisfactory restitution”. The results were never changed. 1973 was a transition year in NASCAR. Teams could run a restrictor plate-equipped 7-liter engine or a 5.9 liter engine without restrictor plates. A decade later, Petty's over sized engine at the same race resulted in new NASCAR rules on oversized engines, including twelve-week suspensions for the offending engine builder, driver, and car owner.^{[citation needed]}

1982 Daytona 500 ("Bumpergate")[link]

Following his victory at Daytona, Allison's car was inspected and was found to have lost its rear bumper, which appeared to have fallen off in a slight bump between two cars at the beginning of the race. However, tests were performed on the car without its rear bumper and it was discovered that the car was faster and handled better without the bumper. It has been claimed that Allison and his crew modified the bumper so that it would fall off easily at the beginning of the race. NASCAR never fined him and the victory stands. Allison and his crew deny the allegations.^[2]

Car owner[link]

Bobby was a car owner for numerous drivers from 1990 to 1996, most notably Mike Alexander, Hut Stricklin, Jimmy Spencer, and Derrike Cope. Stricklin was Donnie Allison's son-in-law.^[3]

The car number raced was #12 and sponsors included Raybestos Brakes from 1990–92 and, in 1993, Meineke. Stricklin moved to the Junior Johnson team halfway through 1992 and Raybestos left at the end of the year to the Stavola Brothers #8 team.^[3][4] For 1994 and 1995, the team was sponsored by Mane 'n Tail with Derrike Cope at the wheel. Allison was forced to close down the team due to financial problems after the 1996 season. ^[3]

Recent years[link]

Allison has actively promoted rail safety for the CSX "Keep on Living" campaign with appearances at Talladega and Daytona. On March 6, 2008, his mother, Kittie Allison, died at age 101 in Charlotte, North Carolina. On May 23, 2011, Bobby Allison was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.^[5]

See also[link]

• List of NASCAR drivers

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bobby Allison

• Official website
• Bobby Allison at Racing Reference
• Bobby Allison owner statistics at Racing Reference
• Bobby Allison at NASCAR.com
• Bobby Allison at the Internet Movie Database
• The Greatest 33 Profile

Tim Richmond
Born	(1955-06-07)June 7, 1955 Ashland, Ohio
Died	August 13, 1989(1989-08-13) (aged 34)
Cause of death	HIV/Aids
Awards	Named one of the 50 Greatest NASCAR Drivers of All Time (1998)[1] International Motorsports Hall of Fame inductee (2002)[2]
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career
185 race(s) run over 8 year(s)
Best finish	3rd - 1986 (Winston Cup)[3]
First race	1980 Coca-Cola 500 (Pocono)
Last race	1987 Champion Spark Plug 400 (Michigan)
First win	1982 Budweiser 400 (Riverside)
Last win	1987 Budweiser 400 (Riverside)
Wins Top tens Poles 13 78 14
NASCAR Nationwide Series career
10 race(s) run over 4 year(s)
Best finish	48th - 1986 (Busch Series)
First race	1983 Kroger 200 (Indianapolis)
Last race	1986 Gatorade 200 (Darlington)
First win	1985 Winn-Dixie 300 (Charlotte)
Last win	1986 Winn-Dixie 300 (Charlotte)
Wins Top tens Poles 2 4 6

Tim Richmond (June 7, 1955 - August 13, 1989) was an American race car driver from Ashland, Ohio. He competed in IndyCar racing before transferring to NASCAR's Winston Cup Series (now Sprint Cup Series). Richmond was one of the first drivers to change from open wheel racing to NASCAR stock cars full-time, which has since become an industry trend.^[4] He won the 1980 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year award and had 13 victories during eight NASCAR seasons.

Richmond achieved his top NASCAR season in 1986 when he finished third in points.^[1] He won seven races that season, more than any other driver on the tour.^[1] When he missed the season-opening Daytona 500 in February 1987, media reported that he had pneumonia.^[1] The infection most likely resulted from his compromised immune system, which was weakened by AIDS. The disease drastically shortened his life.^[1] Despite the state of his health, Richmond competed in eight races in 1987, winning two events and one pole position before his final race in August of that year.^[1] He attempted a comeback in 1988 before NASCAR banned him for testing positive for a banned substance; after NASCAR insisted on access to his entire medical record before reinstating him, Richmond withdrew from racing. NASCAR later stated their original test was inaccurate.^[5]

Richmond grew up in a wealthy family and lived a debauched lifestyle, earning him the nickname "Hollywood".^[6] In describing Richmond's influence in racing, Charlotte Motor Speedway president Humpy Wheeler said: "We've never had a race driver like Tim in stock car racing. He was almost a James Dean-like character."^[6] When Richmond was cast for a bit part in the 1983 movie Stroker Ace,^[6] "He fell right in with the group working on the film," said director Hal Needham.^[6] Cole Trickle, the main character in the movie Days of Thunder, played by Tom Cruise, was loosely based on Richmond and his interaction with Harry Hyde and Rick Hendrick.^[7]

Early life[link]

Richmond grew up in Ashland, Ohio. His parents, Al and Evelyn (née Warner) Richmond, met in the course of their work. Al was a welder for pipe construction companies and Evelyn was a field office manager.^[8] Noticing that highway crews had to dig up the entire highway to lay pipe, Al designed a machine to bore underneath the highway. To market this invention, he founded Richmond Manufacturing, which eventually exported machines worldwide.^[8]

Tim's driving days started as a toddler when he was given a go-kart that he often drove inside buildings and across his lawn.^[8] He later raced the kart at tracks in Moreland and New Pittsburg.^[9] Richmond grew up in a well-to-do family, and was sometimes therefore treated differently by his classmates, so his parents enrolled him in Miami Military Academy in Miami, Florida. During his years in Miami, Tim and his mother moved to Florida and his father stayed in Ohio. While home in Ohio over a summer break, he met local drag racer Raymond Beadle through lifelong friend Fred Miller.^[8] When Richmond reached age 16, his parents purchased him a Pontiac Trans Am, a speedboat and a Piper Cherokee airplane for his birthday. Yet his mother Evelyn often worried about spoiling her only son. She once said, "Tim was lazy...", and "... I did everything for him. I ruined him, I admit it. He was my whole life."^[10]

Richmond excelled in sports; he set a conference record in high hurdles and his high school football career was stellar enough that the academy retired his sports jersey after his gridiron days were over.^[10] Miami Military Academy named him Athlete of the Year in 1970.^[9] Richmond's other interests included flying, and he earned his private pilot license at age 16.^[9] Following high school graduation, Richmond attended Ashland University for about one year before dropping out.^[8]

Racing career[link]

Open wheel racing[link]

A friend of Richmond's father co-owned a sprint car and Richmond joined the team as a crew member for Dave Shoemaker. In 1976, 21-year-old Richmond took the car onto Lakeville Speedway at Lakeville, Ohio for some practice laps. "Somebody put a stopwatch on me," Richmond said. "I was running laps faster than Dave had been. It was the first time I had ever driven a race car."^[8] Richmond and his father found a red, white and blue-colored #98 car in Pennsylvania, which was the same number and paint scheme that Richmond used on model cars as a child. In his first competition at the track, officials placed Richmond in the slowest heat. He passed several cars before spinning out and breaking an axle. Although he made several attempts to get the car pointed in the right direction, the broken axle prevented the car from driving straight. After being towed to the pits, he parked the car for the rest of the event.^[8] Later that season, they towed the car to Eldora Speedway, only to have Richmond crash the car again. In response, Richmond's father fired him as the driver. The next season, Al Richmond bought a SuperModified better suited to his son's driving style. In 1977 Tim Richmond became both Sandusky Speedway's Rookie of the Year and the SuperModified class track champion.^[8]

Richmond returned to racing sprint cars in the United States Automobile Club's (USAC) national sprint car tour in 1978.^[4] Competing in 12 races, he finished 30th in points as the series' Rookie of the Year. That year he attended Jim Russell's road racing school at Willow Springs International Motorsports Park, setting a student course record. Richmond raced in a 1978 Mini Indy car event at Phoenix International Raceway, winning the Formula Super Vee support event in a Lola T620. The win attracted sponsors and attention from major owners like Roger Penske.^[8] He also competed in USAC's Silver Crown series.^[2]

Richmond's father bought an Eagle Indy Car chassis and an Offenhauser engine for the 1979 race at Michigan International Speedway. Richmond qualified 21st fastest with a 175.768 mph (282.871 km/h) lap, significantly slower than Bobby Unser's 203.879 mph (328.111 km/h) pole position speed.^[8] The race ended for him when his motor blew up on the fourth lap, and he finished last (23rd).^[8] Owner Pat Santello was looking for a driver to replace Larry Rice for his CART team at the following race at Watkins Glen International, so he gave Richmond a test at Willow Spring where he had previously set the student record. Santello hired Richmond, who then qualified 15th fastest for the event and finished in eighth place, the best of his IndyCar career. Richmond raced in three more events that season.^[8]

After crashing during the first day of qualifying for the 1980 Indianapolis 500, Richmond nevertheless obtained the 19th starting position in the race.^[4] He worked his way up to the top 10 during the race, led a lap, and finished ninth as he ran out of fuel at the end of the race.^[4] To the delight of the crowd, winner Johnny Rutherford gave him a ride back to the pits.^[4] He was named the 1980 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year. "I busted up a few Indy cars right after that," he said. "Milwaukee, Mid-Ohio. . . at Michigan I cut one in two. I was afraid my racing career would come to a halt. So when I got an offer to drive stock cars, I took it, and it turned out I liked driving them better."^[10]

NASCAR[link]

Pocono Raceway owner and founder Dr. Joseph Mattioli convinced Richmond to make the change to stock car racing on the NASCAR circuit.^[4] Richmond made his first NASCAR start two months after winning the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year award.^[4] He debuted at the Coca-Cola 500 Pocono on July 27, 1980, finishing 12th in a D. K. Ulrich-owned Chevrolet.^[11] That season, he competed in five events, with two DNFs (did not finish) and three 12th place finishes. Overall, he finished the 1980 season 41st in points.^[3]

Richmond raced for three teams in 1981. He started the season by competing in 15 events for Ulrich.^[12] He had his first career top 10 finish, taking sixth place at Talladega Superspeedway, soon followed by a seventh place finish at Texas World Speedway.^[12] After Kennie Childers hired him away from Ulrich mid-season, Richmond had top 10 finishes at Pocono and Bristol. For the final seven races of the season, he drove for Bob Rogers and had a top 10 finish at Dover International Speedway.^[12] Overall for the season, Richmond had six top 10 finishes to place 16th in season points.^[3]

Richmond (right) talking with car owner Raymond Beadle

Richmond started 1982 without a ride before getting a one-race deal to drive for Billie Harvey at the Rockingham track. Richmond completed 112 laps of the 492-lap event to finish 31st, retiring from the race with engine problems.^[13] For the following event, Richmond was hired to drive J.D. Stacy's #2 car. In his first race for the team, Richmond earned his first career top 5 finish when he placed fifth at Darlington Raceway. Returning to Pocono, he finished second, before winning his first race on the road course at Riverside, California the following week.^[13] Later that season, he earned his first pole position at Bristol.^[3] The tour returned to Riverside for the final race of the season where Richmond won his second race, sweeping both events at the track.^[13] Benny Parsons said that "watching Richmond go through the Esses was unbelievable".^[14] For the season, Richmond had twelve top 10s, two wins, and one pole to finish 26th in points.^[3]

In 1983, Richmond began racing for Raymond Beadle^[2] whom he had known before he started racing. He returned to the three-cornered Pocono racetrack, earning his first oval victory.^[4] During the season, he accumulated four pole positions (Darlington, Pocono, Charlotte, and Atlanta), one win (Pocono), and fifteen top 10s on his way to finishing tenth in season points.^[3] He made his first appearance in a NASCAR Busch Series (now Nationwide Series) car, but did not finish any of the three races he entered that season.^[15]

Richmond in Hendrick's No. 25

Esquire magazine named Richmond as one of "the best of the new generation" in 1984.^[9] That year he had one win at North Wilkesboro Speedway and second place finishes at Dover, Darlington and Riverside.^[16] Richmond finished the 1984 season 12th in points, with 11 finishes in the top 10 and in six in the top 5.^[3] In 1985, the final season that Richmond competed for Beadle,^[2] his best finish was a second place run at Bristol. He ended the season 11th in points with 13 Top 10s in 28 races.^[3] In the Busch Series, he qualified at the pole position in the two races he entered, and won the Charlotte race.^[15]

Richmond joined Hendrick Motorsports in 1986, where he teamed up with veteran crew chief Harry Hyde. It took the team until the middle of the season to gel.^[2] Richmond had suffered a 64-race winless streak that was finally broken at the Van Scoy Diamond Mine 500 at Pocono in June 1986. After two straight second place finishes at Charlotte and Riverside, Richmond started the Pocono event in third place inside the second row. That race saw a caution for rain with five laps left before the halfway point.^[4] NASCAR wanted the cars to get to the halfway point to make the race official, so the sanctioning body had the drivers slowly circle the track. It took the drivers 26 minutes to complete the laps, and the rain was so heavy that some drivers had to look out their side windows because they could not see out their windshields. Two hours later, the track had dried and the race resumed with Richmond in third.^[4] After Richmond's car was adjusted to remove the "push", the car was more to his liking.^[4] Because his radio did not work, he was unable to communicate with his crew chief, Hyde, and he made his final pit stop with 37 laps left.^[4] Hyde worried that Richmond had stopped a lap too early to ensure that he would have enough fuel to make it to the end.^[4] After Richmond took the lead with 30 laps left in the race, Dale Earnhardt made up three seconds on Richmond's five-second lead. With four laps to go, Buddy Arrington spun in a three-car accident. The remaining laps of the race where completed slowly under caution and Richmond took the checkered flag for the victory. He had led 97 laps, including the final 30, taking his first victory in a Rick Hendrick car.^[4]

The tour returned to Pocono a month later, and Richmond battled for another victory in a fog-shortened event. In the final 8-lap sprint, Richmond competed in a three-car battle with Geoff Bodine and Ricky Rudd. Richmond crossed the finish line beside Rudd, winning the race by 0.05 seconds.^[4] He notched four more victories that season, and over a span of twelve races, Richmond earned three second place finishes, and six wins.^[17] The National Motorsports Press Association named him Co-Driver of the Year with Earnhardt after Richmond accumulated 13 top 5 finishes and 16 in the top 10.^[9] He had a career-best third place finish in points after winning seven events in 1986, in what was his last full NASCAR season.^[3]

Illness and death[link]

Richmond fell ill the day after the 1986 NASCAR annual banquet during a promotional trip to Chicago.^[18] He was not well enough to begin the 1987 NASCAR season despite lengthy hospitalization in Cleveland and further rest at home; when Richmond missed the Daytona 500, his condition was reported as double pneumonia.^[4][5] Media later reported that he had tested positive for acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).^[4] He returned to Pocono for the Miller High Life 500 during the middle of the year. Starting third, he led by the fifth lap and ultimately led 82 laps, including the final 46, to win the race by eight car-lengths over Bill Elliott.^[4] In the middle of the race, Richmond's car suffered gearbox problems. Because he could use only fourth (high) gear, he had to use that gear to slowly exit the pits. Richmond was emotional after the victory, saying, "I had tears in my eyes when I took the checkered flag. Then every time anyone congratulated me, I started bawling again."^[4] Richmond earned a victory in the next race at Riverside, and made his final 1987 start at Michigan International Speedway's Champion Spark Plug 400 that August, finishing 29th with a blown engine.^[5] He resigned from Hendrick Motorsports in September 1987.^[19]

Although Richmond attempted a comeback in 1988, NASCAR suspended him for testing positive for banned substances.^[4] The substances was identified as Sudafed, a non-prescription over-the-counter allergy medication, and Advil, an over-the-counter pain reliever.^[5] In April 1988, Richmond sued NASCAR over the suspension. Although he retested later that year and was reinstated, he could not find a car to drive.^[20] In his final public appearance in February 1988, Richmond denied that he abused drugs and said that a mistake had been made in his drug test.^[20] His suit with NASCAR was settled out-of-court, the terms sealed.^[21]

Richmond withdrew into his condo in Florida. There were by then rumors of HIV and AIDS, which he denied.^[21] He was later hospitalized in West Palm Beach.^[5][22]

ESPN sent a get-well-soon card to Richmond when it aired the July 1989 NASCAR race at Pocono.^[23] The television network showed highlights of Richmond's victory at the track from 1986. "Tim had Hollywood good looks and the charisma of Tom Cruise," said his friend Dr. Jerry Punch. "There he was in victory lane with the team all around him and beauty queens hanging all over him. It was important for the people at the hospital to see Tim the way he really was, when he was healthy and handsome and vital, not the way he was as they saw him every day in the hospital."^[23]

On August 13, 1989, Richmond died at the age of 34,^[22] about two years after his final NASCAR race.^[4][20][24] He was buried in Ashland, Ohio.^[6]

The secrecy surrounding the circumstance of his death caused speculation for several days.^[25] At the time, Punch stated that Richmond had been hospitalized due to a motorcycle accident,^[20] though it is unlikely that Richmond had the strength to ride a motorcycle during his last months. Ten days after his death, on August 23, the Richmond family held a press conference to reveal that Richmond died from complications from AIDS, which he acquired from an unknown woman.^[21][25] Richmond's physician, Dr. David Dodson, said: "There's no way of knowing who that woman was. Tim was a celebrity with a lot of charisma, a handsome guy. He naturally attracted a lot of women."^[25] Punch later claimed that more than 90 drivers and personnel underwent HIV testing in the wake of Richmond's death.^[21]

Legacy[link]

In 1990, a few months after Richmond's death, Washington television station WJLA-TV and reporter Roberta Baskin reported that Dr. Forest Tennant, who was then the National Football League's drug adviser, "falsified drug tests" that ultimately helped shorten Richmond's NASCAR career. Baskin reported that sealed court documents and interviews showed Tennant and NASCAR used "allegedly false drug-test results in 1988 to bar Richmond from racing". Baskin also stated that NASCAR had targeted Richmond, requesting that Tennant establish a substance-abuse policy with Richmond in mind. A series of drug tests and falsely reported positive results shortly before the 1988 Daytona 500 kept Richmond from driving in what was to have been his last big race...", the report said. The New York Times published the findings.^[26] While neither Tennant nor NASCAR supplied an official response at the time, NASCAR did confirm that they were seeking to replace Tennant.^[26][26]

The Ashland County Sports Hall of Fame inducted Richmond in their second class in 1996. In 1998, NASCAR named Richmond one of its 50 greatest drivers of all time.^[1][9] He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2002.^[2] The Mansfield Motorsports Park ARCA Re/Max Series race in 2009 was named the Tim Richmond Memorial ARCA Re/Max 250 in honor of the area native.^[27] The race at Mansfield was co-promoted by Mattioli's son Joseph Mattioli III.^[28]